


Dawn at the Hills

by kaichocosoo



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Violence, ZombieAU, apocalypseau
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2016-04-05
Packaged: 2018-05-31 10:09:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,902
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6466207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaichocosoo/pseuds/kaichocosoo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Chanyeol thought that playing zombie apocalypse games are fun but then, sh*t just got real</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dawn at the Hills

**Author's Note:**

> Cross post from AFF ^^,  
> I hope this will entertain you, not in a conventional way, maybe. :)

Dawn at the Hills

 

Chanyeol has always joked about zombie apocalypse after endless hours of playing zombie games in his gaming console with his friends from elementary up until he is in high school. Those games are all gruesome yet fun because he knows that there is always a checkpoint where you will be able to get medical supplies and then ammunition and firearms. There are even melee weapons that he prefers to use like that katana in one game that has been his favorite over using long-range rifles and grenades.

It feels better if he could go and shout to the stupid zombies take this, motherfuckers! as he slashes through their rotting bodies. He will punctuate it with a laugh as he moves on to the next checkpoint or a safe house.

Never had he imagined that he will be seeing himself playing those virtual games in real life. No one has prepared him with the news of a zombie breakout in one of the secret laboratories a few cities from where he lives that was a little too late because apparently, not all of the lost infected were accounted for and some has already escaped the confines of their home city and at least one were already roaming in the streets of Chanyeol’s city.

Fucking government and their fucking cover-up, they have cost the lives of people in the nearby cities with zombie infestation that is spreading like wildfire.

He is not sure about what has brought about this stupid zombies. Was it a mutated virus? Was it some kind of new plant species that was ingested? Was it from an animal bite? Was it a result of voodoo gone wrong? Chanyeol couldn’t give a fuck how it happened. They’re fucking here and eating the fucking brains of fucking people. Fuck!

At least, he had some sense left in him and the first thing that he has done when he knew of the news is to go to the nearest gun shop and stock on weapons. He got a couple of handguns, three rifles, at least a dozen of hand grenades and lots of bullets.

How did he manage to get all of them?

Thank those zombies because they have apparently attacked the shop which was at the border of the nearest city from zombieland, a thick forest is just behind it. It was a perfect place for an untraced attack to occur. Chanyeol had to dig through the debris of destruction inside the shop while praying that he will not see something that will make his measly meal go back up.

He was just unlucky that he stumbled upon the store owner he remembers as Mr. Shin lying with his eyes widely open and his torso is a gaping hole. A little more inspection and you could see the remains of his brains spilling from the side that was already hidden by Chanyeol but he was stupid enough to explore. Sorry, Mr. Shim.

He’s thankful that he left his house with a full charged phone and a full charged 20000mAh power bank so he could call his friends and fucking meet up. He will not be defeated by these stupid brain-eating fucktards.

“Shit, Kris. Fucking pick up!” he yelled into the air as he clipped his Bluetooth earphone as he got inside his Ford F-150 after he has stashed his spoils at the back. He kept a pistol beside him though, just in case. One, two, three more rings and yet his bestfriend is not picking-up his phone. Chanyeol started to sweat bullets as images of his bestfriend getting mauled by a zombie made him sick. He doesn’t want to find out what he will heave out if he puked when he has already gotten his brunch out.

“Shit’s gotten real, man,” Kris droned disbelievingly into Chanyeol’s ear and he breathed in relief.

“Where are you, Kris? I’ve got guns,” he informed the other who was unusually quiet on the other line.

“Guns? What the fuck? You serious?”

“Dammit, Kris. Tell me where you are and call up the other guys. Shit. We’re in the middle of a fucking zombie apocalypse, I can’t believe it.”

“Okay, okay. I’m here at the office because everyone has panicked and are stampeding to get out of the building. Fuck, man. Zombies are fucking real.”

“Tell me about it,” Chanyeol rolled his eyes and stepped on his gas. I’m going to round up Jongin and Sehun and you call the rest, okay?”

“Hurry up, Yeol. I think it’s best if we meet up in Junmyeon’s house. It’s in the next city and hell, he’s got these high-tech security installed in that fucking house of his.”

Chanyeol nodded grimly and realized a little late that his bestfriend will not see that. “Bring whatever weapon you can. Shit, we don’t know when we will have to kill one.”

“You better have picked up a grenade launcher for me, Park.”

 

Sehun and Jongin are both dance instructors in the same school and it’s the nearest to where Chanyeol is so he drove there, hoping that they are still there and still alive. He got lucky too with that because just as he rounded the corner to the street where the school is, he saw Jongin and Sehun sprinting to the adjacent parking lot with their bags and holding looked like metal poles. He blew his horn twice to get their attention.

Jongin jumped (kid’s easily surprised) and Sehun immediately whipped his head towards the sound and slowed down when he recognized the pick-up.

“What the hell, Yeol?!” Jongin wailed with a hand on his chest. “I might not be dead because of a zombie but because of your too loud horn!”

Chanyeol ignored him. “Hop in and get your guns,” he gestured towards the back. The duo craned their necks to see what’s at the back of the pick-up and they could make our some kind of duffel bag.

Jongin shook his head. “I have to pick Soo up. Go ahead, Sehun,” he urged the other instructor to get in the pick-up. Sehun paused for a moment and nodded. He ran around the car to hop in beside Chanyeol.

“Be careful, Jongin. Meet us at Junmyeon’s!” Chanyeol shouted as they sped off.

 

They reached into the more populated area of the city and people are just everywhere. Chanyeol has let out a string of profanities because they are not moving for five minutes already. Sehun is on his phone and checking the news for updates. He never had an appreciation for Twitter before but as he saw how fast the tweets are coming, he thanks those people who are absurd enough to care to update their SNS than minding their safety.

“Holy fuck! Yeol, we have to get away from here right now!” Sehun was tugging on his hand that is on the gearshift with frantic eyes, darting everywhere quickly.

“What’s going on, Sehun?”

“Fuck! Come on, Yeol! There’s already a bunch of zombies up ahead!”

Chanyeol was quarreling with his head if he will barrel through the cars behind him and risk killing other people but keep his sturdy car or follow Sehun who scrambled out of the car and was getting to his stash of weapons at the back.

Fuck this! He jumped out of his car with his bag and the pistol he kept and ran to meet Sehun who threw half of his supplies at him and they dashed back to where they came from.

“Where do we go, Yeol?!” Sehun had to yell over the commotion that is everywhere them and he had to mind to keep close to Chanyeol in the case that they might get separated. He has watched too many horror movies to even doubt that he will die early if he is alone.

The other was wracking his brains with their next step. Think, think, think! Chanyeol, you need to think! He scolded himself when he could feel his fear threatening to come over him. It’s not the time for that.

The first thought that came to him is that they need a car. But then his beloved pick-up is stuck in that zombie-infested street and it’s not worth to get back to that and witness those fuckers in action. He’s rather not. He grabbed the younger’s hand to secure his company and he had just another idea.

If he could rob a gun store, why can’t he do that in a car dealership?

He knew one that is just a few streets away and he headed there, hoping that it’s already abandoned by then. He heard Sehun talking on his phone to Jongin telling him to take a detour. At least they could save their friends from being zombies at this point.

They were panting so hard when they reached an alley where they decided to catch their breath and scout their destination. Chanyeol moved and made sure that he is hidden as much as possible but get a good view on the car dealership. His good luck might’ve ran out because just outside the entrance, there are two sluggish looking, corpse-like thing moving around there.

He shivered as he realized that he is looking at those hideous creatures from his favorite virtual games.

Those are real life fucking zombies.

At longer look, they look what zombies generally look like. They're slouching with weird skin color and some parts that isn't consistent but he'd rather not discover what they are up close. Especially those eerie red eyes. But even at the distance where they are standing, he could hear some eerie sounds that is like a high-pitched growl.

He discovered soon what that sound could do.

Something akin to a dolphin sound rang from somewhere and it pierced every particle of air, as well as their heads. They both groaned as they felt their skulls splitting in two. Sehun slid dwn the wall he was leaning against and Chanyeol was down on his hands and knees. It lasted for only five seconds but it felt like forever. When it stopped, Chanyeol's attention went back to the front of the car dealership and he felt like crying when he saw the zombies straighten up and ran towards where he thinks the sound came from.

It's a fucking signal call.

Adrenaline coursed through his veins at this discovery, the urgency to let the others know about this special ability of the walking corpses propelled him to get Sehun on his wobbly knees and took the oppurtunity to get a new car and drive to their safety.

He easily spotted a Jeep with a model that he is not familiar with. Fortunately, it has a coded tag on its windshield and it matched tot the set of keys and key fobs that Sehun has found inside the open office.

"Hurry the fuck up, Sehun!" he yelled at the younger who was locating something in the keys. Before Chanyeol could lift him up, he took a key ans went straight to the Land Rover a few spots away from Chanyeol's stolen Jeep. He eyed the younger as if he was insane but Sehun shrugged.

"Just in case," and hopped into the monster vehicle after he has put their supplies in the passenger seat..

 

Chanyeol called Sehun briefly when they've reached an electronic shop which sells two-way radios and other electronic devices like CCTV after driving lile a maniac. They've beaten too many red lights and almost collided into other rushing vehicles but they were relatively good. Thankfully, this part of the city is not that chaotic yet.

"I'll cover you, hyung," Sehun replied, loading one rifle that is on his half of weapon stash. Chanyeol nodded and proceeded inside the shop. The owner is there but he and who looks like his wife is on their way out of the store.

"Sir, I'm sorry but I would need two-way radios..."

"Take whatever, son. It's not like its gonna kill those monsters," the man said hurriedly and he saw them get on a sedan and drove off without looking back. He wasted no time and gathered the two-way radios that he could find. Jeade sure to get at least four pairs. He also got batteries and LED powered flashlights as well as a mini generator that he had to go back for.

"Hyung, hurry up!" Sehun blew his horn impatiently and Chanyeol knew that theyal may be wasting precious time so he threw one radio over to Sehun with a set frequency. He is just acting on instinct and what he could take from the games that he played. Real life is so different from the world in his gaming console. He's not in a deserted island nor in an abandoned city.

He's still in his hometown and there are still people who could get infected and killed by those zombies. The threat looming over him and his friends are still present and it's sickening.

He was jolted from his thoughts when he heard Sehun call him over the radio.

"We better stock on fuel, hyung. The gas station is on the next block," it ended with a static and Chanyeol replied with an affirmative. At least they have already entered Suho's city and hopefully, the danger is still a bit further from them.

They left the station with full tanks and a few more containers of spare as well as kerosene. Chanyeol and Sehun are driving bombs.

After driving for five minutes, they saw some military contingencies setting up their equipment at the side of the road, some barricades are already in place as checkpoint. They had to slow down and roll down their windows.

"Excuse me, sir. What are these at the back?" one officer said as he lifted up the container of the fuel. Thank goodness he remembered that it's best to hide their guns rather than exposing them in the open.

"Spare fuel, sir. I'm afraid we're going to be needing them with fleeing from those fuckers," Chanyeol replied with panicky voice. The men seemed to pick up his anxiety and they looked at each other with uncertainty. The officer who talked to Chanyeol came back to his side.

"Have you seen them? What do they look like? How could we kill them?"

Chanyeol shook his head sadly and terrified to know that even these people are not sure with what they're facing. "They're ugly and scary and I haven't killed one or saw on getting killed so I don't know."

"Is that so?" it was rhetoric so Chanyeol kept his mouth shut. "Move along and be safe," the officer added and he felt pity for those who are in the front line like them.

"To you too, sir."

 

Junmyeon's definitely the best place to gather because his family is involved in the government, his dad being a senator. Their topnotch security gave Chanyeol confidence on this. He and Sehun drove through the gates, since they are recognized by the security. They were greeted by a very worried Junmyeon by his porch.

"Hyung, we've got weapons there," Sehun pointed at their heavy duty trucks. "And what the hell is going on, hyung? What's this craziness?" Junmyeon nodded in understanding.

"Kris did say something about it. Don't worry, we just have to wait for Jongin and Kyungsoo to come and I'll answer your question," the owner of the house ushered them inside. Kris is already seated at the living room and he couldn't help but hug his bestfriend and the youngest in their group when he saw them safe.

"What took you so long aside from the obviously new sweet rides you drove with?"

"Yeol hyung was shopping," Sehun rolled his eyes and plopped tiredly on one of the couches.

Chanyeol kicked his shin. "Shut up. I got us what we need to survive this fucking nightmare."

Junmyeon then joined them with his laptop, which he is glaring with anxiousness. He felt curious eyes on him so he took the space beside Kris and pointed to the screen where blots of red are mapped. Chanyeol need not think twoce when he realized what the map is for. Same goes for Yifan and Sehun.

"This is where I last picked up a signal from Kyungsoo's and Jongin's phone. They were together at this point but I was sure of that half an hour ago," he sighed heavily, his arms dropping to his side after pointing at the spot where a big cluster of reds are gathered, one blip added after a few moments.

"Fuck!" Sehun cursed and he almost crushed his phone as he punched some buttons, calling his bestfriend and his lovely boyfriend. "You're fucking safe, Kim Jongin. Dammit, you're proposing to Kyungsoo next year so you can't be dead. Both of you. Answer your phone, you shitty head!"

Sehun sobbed as he tried again and again but then he received nothing but a message that his friend is out of the coverage area or busy at the moment. After an hour or so, he fell asleep from exhaustion and still, no answer from Jongin nor Kyungsoo.

 

Chanyeol kept his watch over Sehun as Junmyeon asked some help from Kris. Whatever it was that he was planning to ell them earlier, it could wait. Jongin and Kyungsoo are top priority. Even he feels lightheased upon the though that their friends are stuck somewhere in that mayhem. He can't even imagine how scared Jongin is. Kyungsoo is the more level headed between the two of them but he knows that the older in the relationship puts Jongin's welfare first. If put is a dangerous situation, he will not falter and save the younger first. And if Kyungsoo is in danger, Jongin will go out of his way and focus on saving the former, whatever it takes, as reckless it might be.

Unwelcome images of them fighting off a zombie with Jongin's metal pole but then getting the attention of the other zombies in ther perimeter... He shuddered in terror as he shook his head to clear his head.

Jongin and Soo are safe. They are safe. They are still on the way here and they are alright. We will be safe here in Junmyeon's house and the zombies will be killed and everything will go back to normal. We will be okay.

"Is Sehun asleep?" Junmyeon popped out of nowhere and Chanyeol did a Jongin reaction, almost jolting Sehun off the couch they are on. The younger twitched a little and he opened his eyes, wilder than the usual nonchalant look he sports.

"Now, he's not," Chanyeol retorted at the apologetic owner of the house.

"Since we're all awake, I think it is better to give you a better knowledge on what is happening," Junmyeon paused cautiously. "We'll just let Jong and Soo know later."

Sehun stilled at the mention of the other two that they were still waiting for but he scooted closer to Chanyeol as Kris also came back and took a seat as Joonmyeon did.

"Look," Joonmyeon took his laptop and placed it in front of his friends. The red blots that they have seen before has multiplied but they're seemingly confined in a circular like space. "Father told me that the military has the infected quarantined within the 50km radius of the laboratory where they came from."

"But to set things straight, all of these is a terrorist attack."

Three pairs of eyes widened at the revelation and Junmyeon took this chance to continue. "What was kept in that lab is a war arsenal, according to dad. Why are they zombies? I have no idea. This certain terrorist group had a snitch inside the lab and told them that the experiments are not wielding the expected results and so, they told their snitch to let these failed experiments out as their attack instead of dropping bombs or kidnapping people. They want to spit on the government's face and say that they were bitten by their own 'child'."

"What Junmyeon is trying to say is that we're not exactly in zombie apocalypse. Just a crazy terrorist attack that the government has their control over so we've got nothing to worry about," Kris put in shorter words but it seemed a bit too early for that as loud raps kn the door took their attention and Junmyeon rushed to answer it, seeing that there are three soldiers outside the door.

"Mr. Kim, I'm Commander Kim Minseok and this is Lieutenant Kim Jongdae and Lieutenant Huang Zitao. We are here to escort you and your friends to safety past the hills on the south," the guy with a slightly chubby cheeks but a firm build gestured to his companions with a stoic face.

"Wh-what?!" Junmyeon was confused, so are his friends who he just told to that they are relatively safe. "What safety? I thought we're good here and the attacks are contained?"

Minseok shook his head and kept his commander face on. "I'm sorry but we sre just following orders, sir. I'm afraid we couldn't disclose such information with you."

Junmyeon shook his head, not backing down. "I'm going to call my father. He's right there and controlling the situation..." his voice trailed off as he saw a change in Minseok's bitch face to a very sorry one.

"I regret to inform you that Senator Kim has perished. They were trapped in the headquarters and he has ordered to bomb the place to get rid of quite a number of the infected. I'm sorry, sir."

Junmyeon's knees weakened at the news and Kris was there to steady him. He looked at the soldiers and asked, "Where do we need to go?"

"All of the aircrafts are being sent to the concentration of the attacks so we have to go by land and go around the outskirts of the quarantined zone to go south where the civilians were evacuated to before the barriers are set up at 75km radius of the lab," Minseok answered in a level tone. "They are extending the quaratine zone because the containment is not as efficient as it should be," he confessed dejectedly.

"We will take our vehicles. We've got supplies there," Chanyeol suggested as he and Sehun joined the group by the door. Minseok looked at his companions and nodded.

"I think it's for the best. We were not exactly provided with a transport vehicle upon the knowledge that Senator Kim has more than enough," the commander frowned. That bit of information sounded fishy to Chanyeol but he just nodded. He took his keys, as Sehun did and they set out to get to the evacuation area.

 

It sucks when you find out that people you trust the most have been lying to you all along. It sucks even more when you find it out the hard way, just like Minseok did.

He knew that the order given to him and the two lieutenants was a legitimate order from the Chief but he knew better than to question it when they were just dropped off just outside the Kim estate without any further instruction, whatsoever. But he should've because he might find himself in another situation other thabn ploughing through those bloody fucking monsters as he steers the Jeep towards what he hopes is truly a safe haven.

He checked his rearview mirror to check if Jongdae is still on his tail. He felt a bit better when he saw the Land Rover behind him with Tao peeking from time to time through the windows, shooting some which are coming from the sides. If his estimate us correct, five kilometers away from the Kim estate, he have ran over around twenty of these stupid zombies, the guy on the passenger seat named Chanyeol has shot quite a few and Tao has shot about the same number as his.

He feels lile he's in some fucking video game but it's nowhere fun.

One, they look like decaying cadavers for real, moving, jumping and running like fucking animals. Don't get started on their faces. As a part of the military, he has never been to war but he doubts that if all wars that happened in the history dealt with these, he doubts if there are that many sane survivors. He's pretty sure he's going to have a nightmare about them for months.

Two, he's got emotionally unstable people with him. Kim Junmyeon is suffering from his father's demise and he and his friends are still missing two of their group which they had lost contact a few hours ago. Based on what he has heard, he doubts if they have survived. Before his team have been sent to the Kim estate, almost the whole of the nearby city is abandoned and crawling with the infected.

Three, he's got a companion who's aim is not particularly good but he has to made do by bumping off those zombies before they even go on offense. Thank goodness these zombies are very slow in the head.

"Mr. Army! Stop destroying the car!" his shooter complained and he fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"Sorry if I can't wait for you to fire a fatal shot on these fuckers," he retorted and that has actually shut up the other. With the route that they were ordered to take to get away from the mess, it would have to take about two days to go around eight cities to the refuge camp. But with the looks of things, they mighy not even be safe with thay route.

He has to make a decisive turn if he wants to get these people safe as much as possible.

If he will stick to the plan, with what resources they have, they could make it to safety if they won't be deterred by anything such as theae stupid zombies. Of they fight them off like what they are doing right now, they will run out of ammo and if they will use the cars, they're not exactly built like a tank. Their biggest problem is the wear and tear and if they get stuck in the middle of the quarantine zone.

If they go through a straight route, they will reach their destination in around eight hours. But they will be exposing themselves to a larger volume of threat and who knows what in the middle of that chaos.

Looking at their odds, they're unlikle to survive this.

But Minseok is not one to surrender. He will try his best to make his way out of any kind of situation and he's not about to let zombies kill his spirit. He knows he's not in the position to solely make the decision. He has a group to consult and he'd present the pros and cons of his plans and let them decide.

Good thing that he has Junmyeon in the car with him. From the looks of it, his friends are likely to listen to him.

"Mr. Kim..."

"Just Junmyeon, please, officer."

Minseok nodded in understanding. "Then please call me, Minseok. Actually I have plans to propose, seeing our situation right now."

"We're listening."

And the commander had relayed his roundabout plan and the straight-through plan. The guy on the passenger seat is also listening attentively. From the rearview mirror, he could see Junmyeon and the tall blonde guy considering his plans thoughtfully.

When he finished, no one has talked and by some luck, they haven't encountered any of those monsters yet again.

"Chanyeol, how many weapons were you able to gather?" the tall blonde asked and the guy on the passenger seat - Chanyeol - looked on the car roof as he looked like he was making a mental inventory of weapons which Minseok was surprised that they have in the first place.

"I think I got around ten handguns, a dozen of rifles, some grenades and I got us a few liters of spare fuel. We could arm everyone and have a few extras. I'm not sure with the bullets coz I just stashed them inside the bag but at least they fit the guns we're using already."

The tall blonde nodded. "How about the cars? Did you get spare tire or something?"

Chanyeol shook his head. "Sorry, man. We don't exactly pick up spare tires in the video games. We got food though but it's not enough for seven people for two days with an appetite like yours."

Blonde guy snorted and then turned to Junmyeon. "What do you think of this?"

"I think, the straight through is more favored to us."

Chanyeol looked back with most probably disbelief in his face. "You want to plunge into those seas of zombies, hyung?"

Junmyeon shook his head. "If we go to the long path, we will have to change drivers at some points or even rest for a few hours. We will be physically and mentally strained more with the longer time we will be exposed to threat. And the food. It's not like we could stop by a grocery to get some more because if we don't eat right, we'll weaken. We will be vulnerable."

"If we go straight, we don't have to change drivers more than once since we could stretch out the driving time since Minseok and Lieutenant Kim are driving for us. And as for the zombies, I still have access to their tracker monitor. I will navigate us to the least concentration areas and it may lengthen our trip but not for too long."

What tracker monitor?! Minseok wondered but he kept the quesrtion to himself.

"I'm also betting a chance that we might be able to locate Jongin and Kyungsoo."

At that last statement from Junmyeon, Minseok knew what plan they will embark on.

 

Turns out that Junmyeon had a way to navigate them because he has access to see where the zombies are. He's got access to military intel and Minseok is not complaining.

""We could drive around a kilometer if we turn left and then make a right so we could get to the street where the dance school is."

Minseok nodded and he gave the instruction to Jongdae over the radio that Chanyeol has apparently gotten as well.

"You came prepared," he remarked on his seatmate who smiled but didn't look that happy.

"Maybe playing all those zombie games before paid off at least," they drove in quiet after that.

"There's a few up ahead," warned Junmyeon. Kris took a rifle for himself and opened his window to get a clear shot of their targets. The gruesome shits turned towards the rev of their cars and some have reacted right away, sprinting towards them.

Minseok tried to get them in a decent distance for them to fire and he released the breath he was holding when all five zombies were down and twitching. He focused more on the road as Junmyeon told him that he should turn right on the next corner, also warning them of about three roaming around there.

This time, his companions shot nothing as Tao handled all of them fairly quick.

They drove for a few minutes and slowed down a but when they passed the dance school where Chanyeol and Sehun last saw Jongin. Sehun wanted to go down but Junmyeon stopped him. His view could only see the zombies outside and not those inside the buildings. It's not a good risk to take seeing that there have been a couple that they have shot already.

There was no car left in the parking lot and Jongin took his car to fetch Kyungsoo so there is a low chance of him being back there.

"I've got a pretty clear route from here to the next city but we won't be able to pass by Kyungsoo's bakery. They're flocking there, not to mention that cars have blocked that road," Junmyeon choked out as the possibilty of finding the boyfriends are still not that good.

The radio crackled and the slightly lispy voice of Sehun spoke from it. "We just go, hyung," his defeat is evident and Kris sighed heavily while Chanyeol thumped his head on his window. Minseok kept silent as he minded his driving. He has observed that if he just speed fast enough these zombies, they're already past them before they realized their presence.

As they cruised through the deserted roads with a few upturned cars and all the random trash, the city where Chanyeol has loved for all his formative years have turned into a ghost town in just a matter of hours. He is thankful that his parents are already abroad and they don't get to witness this fuckery.

What was also evident is the stinking stench. It was hard to describe. All they knew is that it buries itself on your knows and engraves its grossness there, and to think that Kris has just opened the window for a tiny bit. It was nasty stuff and even Minseok has grimaced.

As much as possible they don't shoot anything because if they do, they could attract much more attention than what they want and they don't want to be some kind of hero. Chanyeol has half a mind to curse to the pits of hell those zombie game makers. Those shit ain't funny.

Everything was alright, relatively, until Junmyeon said something so bad.

"Guys, I just lost the signal."

FUCK.

 

They had to do a quick change of drivers to keep those who have trained in combat have their hands free of the wheels. Chanyeol and Sehun resumed the driving while Minseok, Jongdae and Tao have guns ready to shoot down anything that will slow them down.

Junmyeon was trying to get the signal back so he could connect to the zombie tracker but it was no use. The communication lines are down and they couldn't even use their cellphones. As far as he could remember, the route that he has found is relatively safe but there is no knowing after they reach the 'zombie land'.

It was safe to assume that many were able to evacuate in time from the other cities they have passed because as they near zombie land, it was there that they saw a crowd of zombies but Sehun was afraidbto look closely as to what is the reason why they were concentrated in one place.

"Fuck," he heard the lieutenant named Tao mutter under his breath. "I never thought I will something like this Jongdae. This is... fucked ass up."

"Tell me about it. Those stuck up bitches left us for this. I'll bet ky sexy ass that they are already in safety, those sluts," Sehun heard the cocking of a gun and then Junmyeon calling on the radio.

"Guys, there is a building up ahead and we think we could see some people trapped inside."

Sehun looked ahead closely and he indeed could see someone sticking some kind of curtain out of the window from the second floor. Upon closer look though, he could see that the entrance to the building has those zombies blocking it. Just like in fucking zombie movies. He feels uncomfortable upon knowing nothing on what makes these things tick. If he had just known their weakness, he could laugh his ass out at them.

"We're going for them," came the next message. Sehun kind of expected that and he's not a heartless jerk. He will bear it on yis conscience if he let other people become zombie chew toy.

It was the commander who spoke next, giving out their game plan. "We are going to park across the streets and prepare to bomb the zombies by the door, shoot anything that strays from their group. Me, Jongdae and uhm, Kris? Yeah, Kris. We three will go in and rush to get whoever is still human in that building while Jongdae and Chanyeol will cover for us. Sehun and Junmyeon look out for our supplies."

As they drove nearer, they have gained attention of a handful and Tao was quick to headshot them with a handgun where he attached a silencer to. He and Jongdae scrambled outside the vehicle as soon as Sehun has parked and he saw the people from the other car get out as well.

It was Chanyeol who threw two consecutive grenades on the horde of about twenty zombies and thankfully, he didn't miss - getting all those walking corpses exploding. Sehun held back the urge to gag because they were splattery when bombed, some of their rotting parts flying and hitting as far as where the cars were parked.

The three assigned to get into the building have signed something on the person who peeked from the window after hiding during the explosion. Sehun braced himself and held the shot gun that Tao has thrusted into his hands. It is for long range and he is to scout the perimeter for any attacker. He knew thar Junmyeon is not the fighter type so he knows he will be doing this for the both of them.

Jongdae and Chanyeol were by the entrance, holding their respective firearms and the seconds start to tick so slow. There was something heavy in the atmosphere and it makes everything more eerily silent. They have risked their location and has posed danger to themselves by using those grenades and they might have started all the other monsters around to go where they were.

It was nearly a minute when Minseok has emerged first followed by five new people, then Sehun and Chanyeol both froze in terror as they heard a familiar high-pitched screech. The group wasted no time and rdashed towards the vehicle, splitting evenly, now that they are a group of twelve. As Tao boarded the Rover, he saw the expression on Sehun's face and he slapped his arm hard.

"Drive the fuck out of here, kid!"

 

Sehun was out of his frightened state and it was then that he realized that the back is a little crowded. It made him even more sober when he saw two familiar faces looking at him through the rearview mirror.

"You're fucking alive, Kim Jongin," he whispered under his breath but it was loud enough for everyone to hear. "Good thing you brought Soo hyung with you."

"Don't go crying on me now, bitch. Just drive. We'll talk later."

 

When they reached the part of the road with a wide stretch of open fieldsnon both sides, Minseok called for them to stop and regroup. Everyone was high strung from the rescue mission that they just did and it would help them to plan their next steps since Junmyeon couldn't locate the zombies anymore. They're not yet in the heart of zombie land and with more people, it would impact their supplies.

The good thing is that, they have more people on board and they are most likely to survive zombie killing.

But one thing that Minseok doesn't say out loud is that a larger group has a higher probabilty for casualty, since he knows that the bunch they have rescued aren't much fighters. He didn't want to dampen their spirits and just get on with the trip until they're beyond the safety of the hills.

"What the fuck happened to you and Soo, Jong?" Chanyeol interrogated their friends who he was never that happy to see them again. Sehun seconded the question with a nod.

"Soo went after Baek who works in the lab and when he saw them, he also had Luhan and Yixing with him. We were forced to leave the car because we were stuck in traffic so we ran and hid in that building. We were lucky that they didn't have super strength or we will be just like them already," Jongin explained. He has just gone into the most terrifying thing in his life after Kyungsoo leaving his sorry ass.

Junmyeon looked at the three people in lab gowns and disheveled appearances. "You were working in the lab? You know about my father?" They all nodded.

"We were one of the last that he was able to get out of the lab before it imploded. I'm sorry, Junmyeon-ssi," Baekhyun dipped his head low. Everything is a fucking mess and he didn't know how all of these happened. He never knew that the rumors of some kind of taboo research was going on under his nose. What more is that Yixing and Luhan is on the secret. He won't let them off the hook easily. He felt betrayed.

"You might want to ask them about those monsters. They helped create them," he sneered at this friends who huddled closer at the looks they garnered from the team.

"Baek," Luhan pleaded with teary eyes. It's not like he wanted everything to turn out like this. He was afraid of the project as well but his curiosity got the best of him and Yixing begging him to join him isn't exactly an easy way to say no to.

Yixing raised his hand and fiddled with his lab gown. "I think I better tell you that this is just the beginning."

"Well, fuck. We're zombie food then," Jongdae grumbled which earned him a silencing glare from his commander.

"Tell us everything you know, Yixing-ssi," Junmyeon kind of remembers this guy as one of those who studied under his father's scholarship program. He never thought that his father is this involved with this stupid experiment. He thought he only knew because he is a part of the government. What else does he need to know?

Yixing nodded his head. "First of all, we are not dealing with zombies because what we have been tasked to do is to prove and recreate the existence of vampires," he heard scoff but he didn't stop. It was hard to believe at first but look at where they were now. "The goal of this research is to create super soldiers, like Captain America's concept. They wanted to create soldiers with heightened senses and motor skills akin to what the mythical vampires have."

"But these creatures are not exactly mythical, as it turns out. They have given us samples of what they believe as vampire DNA and we are to replicate them and use genetic engineering to alter the subjects' DNA to give a person these vampiric traits. We were just in the testing phase and have released our first serum for testing."

"All the animals we've tried them on have not survived for long except for the monkeys. They were able to display the effects of the serum properly but the subject dies before twenty-four hours from administering the serum. For some reason, the higher ups have ordered us to go with the test to one human, though he was dead. They were curious if it is true that vampires are dead beings brought to life by something that we can't still figure out even after having their DNA."

"The serum was given to the person and he became the state of those what you call as zombies. He was offered normal food but he will not take them so we tried to give the subject blood. It satisfied him alright and we tried adding meat to that after a few hours and he devoured it as well. After twelve hours, his appearance have started to improve and he was good as new, he has also displayed the heightened abilities that we were aiming for though we can't just let his diet stay. It was too scary and dangerous."

"We were still in the middle of suppressing that horrible diet and the crankiness and aggressiveness that the subject was showing when someone from the lab had stolen the serum and gave it to some of what should've been our new subjects and all hell broke lose. We're here and we didn't know that the mutation could be transferred like a vampire bite. There are still too many holes in this experiment and it's posing a great danger upon us."

"So you don't know why they heck they are screaming like a banshee calling for back-up and answering it?" Chanyeol broke the silence that has enveloped them after Yixing's narration. Yixing and Luhan looked at each other.

"The screeching is some kind of communication?" Luhan wondered.

Yixing nodded solemnly. "It turns out that it is."

 

After rationing what little food they have, it was decided that it's better if they take camp for a few more hours. All of them are strained and exhausted but they still have put up guarding duty which switched every hour. There will be three rounds with four watchers each. Minseok, Kris, Junmyeon and Yixing is first watch. Tao, Jongdae, Chanyeol and Baekhyun will go next and Jongin, Kyungsoo, Sehun and Luhan will go last (though they have secretly agreed to leave after two hours).

Jongin's head is using his boyfriend's thigh as pillow and isbon the verge of sleeping because of the comforting hand that Kyungsoo runs in his hair. Sehun is seated close to them while Luhan is curled in himself a little ways away. Chanyeol and Baekhyun were sitting together since they know each other a bit through their friends (or maybe Baekhyun made sure of that) while the two lieutenants are busy checking their supplies. Those on first watch are kind of scattered with guns in hand, Yixing is feeling guilt which was written all over his face.

"Hyung, I thought you were gone," Sehun has finally able to let out hs anxiousness and leaned his head on Kyungsoo's shoulder. The elder has always been looking out for Sehun because he's Jongin's bestfriend and it hits him to see the usually indifferent Sehun breaking down like this.

"It's okay, Hun. We're here. I'm sorry if we worried you," he patted his leg comfortingly as his other hand found Jongin's and they twined their fingers together.

Luhan looked at them at the side and he can't help but feel a little sad. He had never been good with friends and Baekhyun and Yixing were the only people he get to call his friends but Baekhyun is upset with him and Yixing is upset wih himself. Everything turned out to be so messy and terrifying. It was like he is in a nightmare that he can't wake up from. It sucks big time.

On one side, Chanyeol is holding on a rifle and has just finished loading it. He set it aside and looked at the person beside him who he knew is a happy-go-lucky guy. This zombie/vampire whatever is turning people into some worse version of themselves. If they weren't in this emminent threat to their lives, he would've appreciated the chance to look at Baekhyun up close because if he's honest with himself, he has been harboring this little crush on Kyungsoo's bestfriend for a long time already. He felt a lot bad when he realized he haven't even crossed his mind in all this chaos.

But no matter, he is there beside him and he is looking tired, sad and sleepy.

Feeling brave from what could be the last chance that he could do this and shout YOLO in his head, he cleared his throat.

"Uhm, Baekhyun... you c-can sleep h-here," he stuttered and prayed that he is not blushing madly because it is simply not the time. He patted his thigh once when Baekhyun looked at him. The latter's brows were furrowed and Chanyeol think it was an idiot move and Baekhyun is judging him hard but he felt someone move right beside him and he felt a light pressure of lips on his cheek then it pressed harder. Chanyeol's surr he looks loke a tomato right then and there.

"Uhh..."

"Just in case something happens, I like you, okay? You could've asked me out before and we could've been lovey-dovey like Soo and Jong now but you're so slow so you've got no choice and indulge me in what could be the last hours of our life, got it?" Baekhyun whispered on his ear, his hot breath tickling Chanyeol but he stayed frozen to where he was.

Baekhyun kissed him again, this time at the side of his mouth before plopping down on Chanyeol's lap to accept his offer. Chanyeol dazedly felt the light brown hair that he has been wanting to feel for a long time now.

"I think you just made me fall in love with you at the worst timing, fucking hell, Baekhyun," he grumbled lowly with a pout.

"Again, I wasn't the slowpoke."

"You could've asked me out first then!"

Baekhyun lightly punched his ribs. "You should work hard for this sweet ass but since there is a high chance we will die here, I'm staking claim."

"Fine."

"Fine."

From where Kyungsoo and Sehun are seated, they can't help but snicker as they witnessed what hss just happened between Chanyeol and Baekhyun.

"About time," they chorused.

 

Chanyeol was about to wake Baekhyun (he spent ten minutes figuring out how to do it) but Kyungsoo approached them with a smile, tugging along a yawning Jongin.

"Let Baek sleep. Get as much time together," he winked at the flustered Chanyeol before hauling Jongin's sleepy ass to get some weapons to start watch in behalf of his bestfriend and his love interest for a while already.

But Baekhyun has already stirred and he sat up, his fists up his eyes as he yawned cutely. Chanyeol's about to go insane from confusion. He should be scared out of his wits because they could die any moment but he can't help cut coo on Baekhyun inside his head.

"Is it our turn, Channie?"

He's even given me a nickname oh shit

"Uhm, Soo and Jong took our slot," he informed Baekhyun who is now pouting as he tried to fix his wayward hair. Chuckling, Chanyeol has involuntarily helped him fix his hair and sweep his bangs off his face. The smaller paused and Chanyeol felt this reaction and he took back his hands. "I'm sorry!"

Baekhyun started chuckling though. "It's okay, Channie. I don't really mind and by the way..." Baekhyun leaning in closer has stunned Chanyeol again but he snapped out with just enough time to hold the other by his nape and direct their lips on top of each other. When they broke apart, Baekhyun was sporting a smile that Chanyeol returned.

"Wasn't planning that but yeah. Okay. That's better."

 

Two hours passed like a blur but it's already dark. The time was enough for Junmyeon to acquire a signal and he was able to connect back to the zombie monitor. It was even better because it looks like they are gathered by the lab area and just a few more blips scattered. With their number and weapons, they could manage to take a route that will take then to the hills in around three hours.

Junmyeon has put the data into the cars' consoles because his connection is still unstable and they set out to continue on their drive. Chanyeol's Jeep has Baekhyun, Junmyeon, Yixing, Minseok and Yifan. Sehun is riding with Jongin, Kyungsoo, Luhan, Tao and Jongdae. Both of them had split the guns and grenades as well as the spare fuel. If they will just follow the route that Junmyeon has pointed out, they could get to safety, finally.

The mood of everyone was considerably lighter, even considering that they each have a gun and was told to fire without hesitation on whatever threat (read: zombies/half-baked vampire) would come their way, just in case. Jongin and Kyungsoo are snuggled close on the back seat with Sehun and a very quiet Luhan while Jongdae and Tao are bickering over nonsensical things. Kris toom over the wheel with Junmyeon at the passenger seat while Chanyeol and Baekhyun were being awkwardly sick that makes Minseok roll his eyes while Yixing is the same as Luhan.

They have cruised their route for an hour enough and they only saw a couple of those zombies, some are even just lying on the ground, probably dead already. Just an hour and a half more, Minseok thought as he heard another smooching sound from the people on his right, thank goodness that it's quite dark. He should've just shoved all the lovebirds on the Rover.

Another three-quarters of an hour has passed abd just another more when shit has started to fuck things up. They were just passing in another city converted into a ghost town when they noticed twitching bodies on the ground and Yixing has suddenly panicked.

"Yixing-ssi?" Minseok asked with concern and the Jeep fell silent.

"This is bad. This way too early since twelve hours has not yet passed but these bodies are transitioning from their dead state to what we call the vampire state," his voice dipped lower. "Their enhances abilities are going to start surfacing."

"How long does this twitching last until they gain consciousness?" Kris asked warily as Junmyeon have activated the radio.

"It usually lasts for thirty minutes, according to our observations," Yixing replied.

Kris grunted in affirmation. "We'll just have to step on it then."

 

But they have forgotten to consider how long those zombies were transitioning already because just ten minutes of driving, Yixing yelled for Kris to stop. Kris did and they were almost thrown over the dashboard. Good thing that Jongdae has kept a good distance from them and they avoided clashing into each other.

"What now, Yixing?" Kris asked exasperatedly. Junmyeon patted his arm then pointed on the windshield. Kris followed his friend's hand and they saw a lone zombie... nope. It looks more like human but his clothes were tattered like those who were attacked and mauled by these zomvamps whatever.

"That... that person is... that person is XH01. He's that first specimen we've tried the serum on," Yixing answered anyway.

"What the fuck is he doing here?!" Chanyeol asked and instinctively pulled Baekhyun closer to him who started to tremble as images of the terror that happened in the lab came back to him.

The answer was in the form of that nightmarish screech that was even more painful at the close distance. It even broke the car windows and the cars were shaken from the force. That was the most excruciating five seconds of their lives and when Kris has recovered his senses, he shook his head and activated his flight mode and got the Jeep moving.

Out of his peripheral, he could see something that he never wanted to see. From both sides of the streets, hordes of zombies were coming and trailing behind them in speed that he haven't seen. They're not acting like walking corpses anymore.

SHIT.

 

Shot after shot were ringing in the air and Luhan can't take it anymore and he has started crying. The gun has slipped in his hands and he curled into himself again as tears ran down his cheeks. But he felt arms lifting him up from his seat by the window and he is sliding on someone's lap to the seat on his right.

"Are you okay?" he heard a soft question above the shooting sounds that are emitted from everywhere around him. Luhan looked up and saw that tall guy with a cold expression looking down at him with concern as one of his hands are clutched on the long gun that almost everyone has.

Luhan simply nodded and the guy - Sehun, he thinks is his name - smiled a little and patted his head before turning at the shattered window and throwing something that seemed to be a grenade because of the exploding sound that came shortly after.

He has been just catching his breathing when he heard some metal grating and snapping and the next thing that he knew, he heard the guy from their passenger seat yelling and as he looked up, he saw how he was snatched from his seat, the door to his side gone for some reason, while the tan guy beside him tried to hold him back and then his boyfriend that is Baekhyun's bestfriend was holding him by the waist, his gun forgotten.

"Fuck, JONGDAE!" their driver yelled after the snatched guy and Luhan's heart raced again and his fear ate him whole again. He started sobbing harder because if some military guy could be snatched away like that, what more for some weakling like Luhan?

He's never good at anything physical. He's all studies, books and schools. So what are his chances of survival? Nada, zilch, none.

He felt the same arms wrapping around him and the soft voice a while ago whispering reassuring words to his ear. Luhan can't help hos trembling but he feels a tad bit better because someone is paying him attention. How pitiful could he get?

"It's okay. Hush now, Luhan. We need to be strong. We need to fight. We're almost there," Sehun whispered to the whimpering scientist beside him. They have managed to lose their pursuers but he felt his stomach heave at the thought that it's because they caught Lieutenant Jongdae. He dared no look back though he could still paint the image from Tao's agonized cursing and angry yelling. Kyungsoo is holding on to Jongin who is almost as terrified as Luhan.

"Soo, I got him. I already got him but I let go. This is my fucking fault. I let someone die, Soo," he heard Jongin cry to his boyfriend who was whispering him something as he kissed every part of his face that he could reach.

"Sir, I'm s-sorry but Jongdae's g-gone," he heard Tao relay on the radion that was left on his comrade's seat.

"We have to stay focused on our goal. Step on it, Tao."

 

Chanyeol saw what happened from the side mirror of the Jeep. The Rover had taken the force of their pursuers because they were at the back. He had taken out his gun and started shooting off those fucking fast to be able to keep up with their 120kph speed and strong to be able to rip the Rover's door off vamp-like monsters. It's a good thing that they are not immortal and could be killed by gunshots. He had fired a couple of shots before he saw one of them outrunning all the others and gripping on the slot of the broken window on Jongdae's side.

It was quick but Chanyeol saw in slow motion how the door flew off and hit some of the vamps while the attacker has pulled Jongdae out and leapt off. He was stunned to silence as he saw the man screaming for his life as he disappeared from behind the Rover.

They were clear from pursuers then so they keep driving with eleven people.

 

Kyungsoo was able to make his way to the front to cover for Tao. Jongin is in no condition to help him because of the trauma he still feela from seeing him almost getting bit by those zombies. If Jongin wasn't able to pierce through the zombie's body using some metal pole, he would've been zombie meat by now. Or worse, he's one of them.

Jongin still kept a hold on his shirt from behind.

He needs to be strong for the both of them because Jongin will break even more if he's going to lose himself, even though he is very much tempted to be. He was thrown into a middle of some kind of horror movie and did a suicide rescue mission for his bestfriend and some of his co-workers. He had been trapped in that building where the others have rescued him. He learned to fre a gun the first time he's held one and he saw someone get snatched right in front of his eyes.

He should've paid more attention because he is vulnerable where he is because of the lack of door but maybe, he let himself get lost at the wrong time as something red darted so fast by his right that before he could aim his gun, he felt something latch on his thigh and bite down.

There was the ringing of a gunshot from beside him and he saw blood splattered on him and something that looks like a head blown over on his lap.

The last thing he heard is the most painful sound that he has ever reached his ears. It was Jongin's voice, sorrowful, angry, pained and worried calling for his name.

"KYUNGSOO!"

Then, he blacked out.

 

Sehun is nursing his knuckle after he punched Jongin to shut him up. He was going near hysterics when he Kyungsoo got bitten. It has horrified Sehun but Jongin's shouting and crying all over the place and fussing over his passed out boyfriend is not needed by anyone. Jongin is now laying where Junmyeon is by his side and Kyungsoo is getting treated by Yixing.

That smartass researcher actually has some kind of prototype antidote for the vamp serum (he decided to name it as that compared to the letter-number combination that Yixing told them). The thing is, it is still under development and the only thing that it can do is to slow down the effect of the serum. For how long? He's not sure either.

So it makes Kyungsoo some kind of guinea pig but it's better than nothing.

And to make it even better, he's only got three vials with him as that is all he could get from the lab and he needs two of them for him to be able to continue its development. He already gave one to Kyungsoo and that's it.

They had to stop and regroup once more because they can't have another casualty. They already have one too many.

"It's better the Jeep will bring the rear now," Minseok said. "We keep Tao driving the Rover and keep Junmyeon, Yifan, Chanyeol and Baekhyun there. The rest will be on the Jeep. We will refuel, ready the grenades and reload our guns and make sure to prepare everything. We need to stay focused all the time. Clock's ticking and we're just a few minutes away from the hills."

The commander is right. From where they are, they could already see the hills even though it's just a silhouette. They moved wordlessly to their cars and whipped their head around for any attack. Being it nighttime is really a disadvantage but they have to fight. Kyungsoo's breathing is getting heavier by the minute and Jongin is still passed out. Sehun took the passenger seat though he reaasured Luhan that he'll be alright.

"Y-Yixing," came a weakened voice of Kyungsoo. It was raspy, so different from his beautiful velvety voice that has Jongin whipped to the Mars and back. "If... if the ef-fect w-wears off, j-just leave m-me."

"What the fuck, hyung? What are you saying?!" Sehun hissed angrily. What is Kyungsoo trying to do?

Kyungsok turned his head to where Sehun is and smiled weakly. "Yixing's a-antidote has a-a lot of p-potential, Se-hun ah. I-if he c-continues t-to make i-it, you-you won't h-have t-to fear a-anymore. H-he could s-save m-more l-lives if y-you spare m-mine."

"No, hyung! What are you saying?! What about Jongin?!" Sehun didn't want to cry again but dammit, Kyungsoo is making things difficult.

Kyungsoo then turned to his boyfriend and caressed his head. "Take care of h-him for m-me, Sehun. P-please."

"Hyu..!"

But Kyungsoo looked at him with decisiveness and certainty. "Please, S-sehun ah."

"No..!"

"Please d-don't tell him a-about my decision. I... I know h-he will stop m-me but I want to let h-him live a l-life after this."

Sehun shook his head. "Do you think he could live without you, hyung? He's about to marry you, for fuck's sakes! He..."

Kyungsoo kept his smile on though his eyes let out tears cascading down his face. "Tell him I would've said yes," his voice is down to a whisper. "You have to make him live, Sehun. I trust you with this." Then he turned back to Yixing who is regarding him with sad eyes. "Please do as I say, Yixing-ssi. Please."

Sehun turned his eyes back on the dark road. "I will never let you die, Soo hyung."

"T-thank you, Sehun ah."

A few moments later, Jongin groaned as he awakened and the tight grip on his hand tugged him to consciousness. "Jonginnie," his name is whispered and it was all it took for him to cry. Kyungsoo's alive and he's talking to him.

"Babe, you okay?" he asked as he slowly opened his eyes. Kyungsoo lools paler but he is smiling his signature smile and nodded.

"Yixing fixed me."

Jongin turned to face his boyfriend and engulf him in an awkward hug and cried. He cried because he thought that he has lost his reason to live, the love of his life, Do Kyungsoo. He cried because he felt how deep it hurt when he thought that he was gone forever. He wasted no chance and captured his lips with his, PDA be damned.

But his world crashed yet he hid it, especially as he deepened the kiss.

Kyungsoo said Yixing fixed him but that's a lie.

Kyungsoo tasted like blood.

 

Up ahead, they could already see the tunnel which leads to the road up the hills where the promise of safety is. They could see signs of movement at the top and at least, they weren't being bluffed to. But their pursuers have gained on them yet again and this time, they are faster and many has joined the party.

But they still have the advantage of being in a vehicle and pushed them tk their limits as the road turned steep. The Hills is actually a park and the road will eventually end and they would have to run the rest of the way. They need to buy some time for them to get out of the car and sprint to the peak until those monsters could catch up on them.

Sehun threw three grenades as distraction and Jongin now got a gun and with Yixing, they started shooting them down. Chanyeol and Kris were also using their guns but they have to conserve ammo. They still have to cover for themselves on the ascent to the peak.

"I noticed that they only take the path that we do," Minseok voiced out. "I think it's a good distraction if we set the cars on fire and let them explode when we get off."

Everyone agreed on the suggestion and after five minutes, they've reached the end of the road.

The Jeep was parked perpendicular to the road while the Rover will be left on neutral so that it could take anything as it explodes on its way down. These vamps are the least bit intelligent, it seems.

Kris has volunteered to carry Kyungsoo on his back because Jongun is starting to get hysterical again. It's hard to lie to him when he knows his boyfriend inside out. They jogged up the path with Junmyeon on the lead, followed by Yixing, Baekhyun, Kris and Kyungsoo, Jongin, Sehun and Luhan, Chanyeol, Tao and Minseok. Those at the rear are covering for those who are in front except for Luhan.

"Luhan, let me just carry you," Sehun offered because he couod see the fragile male heaving. He's not the athletic type obviously.

"No... No, Sehun-ssi. I... I can manage," he huffed and put effort to speed up. They heard the Rover explode and some weird dying growls after. They continued their ascent and pushed harder when Minseok yelled 'Incoming!' as he threw one grenade by the Jeep to trigger its explosion.

They are just a few meters and they noticed that there is some kind of a transparent sheet that acts as a barrier between them and the people on the other side. There were armed men waiting for them with their guns ready in case they need to fire.

Junmyeon has already been received and then Yixing and Baekhyun. But theb they heard a shriek as Luhan went down with XH-01 perched on his back, latching onto his neck.

"Down!" Minseok shoved Sehun on the ground as gunshots were fired, aimed at the failed experiment who was able to escape a few meters but he wasn't fast enough to survive a myriad of bullets.

After it stopped, Minseok has pulled Sehun up this time as he was stuck staring at Luhan's wide open eyes that must've looked so beautiful if they weren't reflecting pain and if it hadn't turned red the next second.

"Luhan! No! Luhan, no!" Sehun tried to escape the grasp of the commander but he wasn't a soldier for no reason. He could only stare and look as Luhan's life is slowly getting sniffed out of him. He passed through the barrier but he tried to get back for the other but he was held tight by other uniformed men.

"Fuck, no! DO KYUNGSOO! Don't you dare! Don't you fucking dare! Get back here! Kris hyung, what are you doing?! Kyungsoo, I love you so much, baby! Don't do this to me! Don't do this! KYUNGSOO!" 

Sehun's atrention shifted to his bestfriend who is grovelling on the ground as he tried to reach for Kyungsoo who stayed on the other side with a defeated smile, his eyes blood red. Kris is also standing beside him, then sank on his knees but Sehun saw his eyes turned red as well.

Kyungsoo was crying as he shook his head at Jongin and mouthed that he's sorry and he loves him so much and then as if he sensed that Sehun is watching, he nodded his head once at the younger before he slowly turned around and dragged Kris with him. Sehun became aware of Chanyeol calling out to his bestfriend but received no response.

They reached where Luhan laid and he's slowly graying and Sehun couldn't bear to look anymore.

They heards someone say 'Commence' and a sudden boom and a big wave of energy emitted from the clear barrier. Sehun and the others were shaken to the ground but they clearly saw how Kyungsoo, Kris and Luhan had flown up and thrown into the middle of a deep pit that was formed as the ground caved in.

When the dust cleared, it was then that they saw the expanse of the pit. Everything beyond the hills were turned to rubble. Their houses, workplace, restaurants, shops, people, memories, Jongdae, Kris, Luhan and Kyungsoo. They're all there buried.

They might've gained safety but at what cost?

They were gathered into tents where they were checked for injuries and fed, except for Jongin that they had to knock out with tranqs. Junmyeon gathered them wih a grim smile on his face. He can't even feel happy that they have survived. They have lost too many to consider safety a blessing yet. But...

"We're at a new dawn, guys. We're gonna have new begginings but our journey stays with us. We lost our treasures but treasures could be found of we dig deeper. We continue to live not only for us but also to those who wants us to use this second chance at things. Everything boils down to us being here and we cherish it."


End file.
